Butt faces battle to reduce ban

A difference of opinion within the PCB could lead to Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, failing to complete his rehabilitation programme by the September 1 deadline and thereby having to serve his full ten-year ban on account of his role in spot-fixing. Butt has to attend a couple of lectures to complete his rehabilitation - which will help reduce his ban to five years - but it is understood that the PCB, which administers the programme, is divided over whether to clear him or not.

It is believed that the divergence of opinion is on the point of whether or not Butt has done enough by way of sharing information on corrupt practices and helping anti-corruption agencies. PCB officials were not willing to comment on this issue.

The PCB, it is understood, has been denying him access to the educational programme for more than two years. Last week, the National Cricket Academy invited him complete his rehabilitation program; the move had been directly approved by PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan but the plan was called off immediately after objections were raised by some senior PCB officials asking Butt to 'come clean'.

Butt, who is 30 at the moment, was originally handed a 10-year ban from any involvement in cricketing activities for spot-fixing during the Lord's Test in August 2010, with five years suspended on the condition that he would commit no further breach of the anti-corruption code and participate in a PCB-controlled anti-corruption education programme.

The ICC also called him up on April 28 in Dubai after the PCB chairman applied for his reintegration into cricket. The meeting, though, was postponed for eight weeks for unknown reasons.

Butt intends to participate in the upcoming domestic season, which begins in October, and claims to have received a number of offers from departmental teams. "I have done everything I have to do in line with the tribunal's order," he told ESPNcricinfo. "There are a few departments in talks with me ahead of the domestic season. But I am not able to commit because there is still uncertainty and I fail to understand why I am being denied."

Since 2013, Butt has been approaching the PCB to let him take part in the education program that is a major condition to undo the remaining five years of his ban. He informed the PCB of his willingness to comply and requested the chairman's support. He confessed to and apologized for his actions and offered his full cooperation to the mandatory educational rehabilitation program.

The ICC last year approved a revised anti-corruption code that allows banned players to make an early return to domestic cricket, if they are found to meet certain criteria. These criteria, include "the level of remorse shown by the player, his/her cooperation with the ACSU's education programme and/or if the player has helped the ACSU by disclosing all information that, in turn, has helped it to enforce the Anti-Corruption Code in respect of others engaged in corruption conduct."

Butt, along with Mohammad Asif, had also been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court in November 2011 on charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. Mohammad Amir had pleaded guilty prior to the trial.

Butt has served most of his ban, and also served seven months of a 30-month prison sentence in UK. In 2013, he appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, to reduce his ban but it was rejected.